Repairs: Just part of the Adventure!

In his heart a man plans his course, but the LORD determines his steps. (Proverbs 16:9)

Instead of touring the Southwest US this week, we are home dealing with repair issues. And, I have been reminded of Proverbs 16:9 repeatedly. God plans my every step despite my wrestling to take back control. But, when I get lost in MY plans, HE always knows how to get my attention again. This time, instead of the warm, sunny Southwest, the motorhome is parked in the driveway, awaiting a mobile repair appointment for the refrigerator, and (although I hate to admit it publicly) our family is better off because of the delay. God's plan is always better than mine, once I stop fretting and embrace the change, that is.

During this stranded weekend, we headed to St. Louis with Mom, crammed in our car, to make the best of it. And found myself acutely, and sometimes tearfully, aware of my blessings. This week, I was able to sit next to my 88-year-old mother, who was mesmerized by the colors of Beyond Van Gogh. I felt her joy and understood the significance of the day when she recalled the experience, despite the forgetfulness of dementia, as she opened the door to her independent living center. Because of a change in MY plans, I heard my mother's voice as she pointed out the blinking eyes on Van Gogh's paintings and the blossoms that made us all feel swept away in a summer breeze. I got the chance to hold her hand while we walked across the parking lot of the St. Louis Galleria, and felt my mom's overflowing love for me throughout an entire day. God gave me a blessing that was not lost in my normal frenzied pace. He gave me another day, another memory, another chance to be with my mom.

Enjoying every minute with Mom!

#BeyondVanGogh

I see Mom often since she lives just across town. I take her to doctor's appointments, stop in for coffee, gather groceries, and get the Pick 2 at Panera with her, but the joy of that Mother-Daughter relationship can easily be lost in the checklist of responsibilities. God knew I needed a reminder.

Then, I watched, Grace, my high schooler, hug Mom and tell her, "You are my favorite grandmother," and witnessed the pure joy of their relationship. And on the way home, I discovered Grace was Google-searching the names of Van Gogh's paintings and choosing the print that she wants to add to her bedroom wall. Today, my daughter was compelled to learn, not by a school requirement, but by being fully present in her experiences. Another blessing from our delay...

On Sunday, to top off my weekend, I joined my church family to hear Pastor Matt imploring me to more fervent prayer in the months to come. He reminded all of us to be praying continually, putting our own desires in line with God's. Was this delay part of His plan? Perhaps. Throughout the message, I envisioned Jesus accomplishing more in his delays than I could ever hope to do in my own feeble plans.  

So, as Mark is working on our 2021 tax return and I prep for tonight's dinner with Vince and Sarah, my heart is overflowing with thankfulness that God determines my steps. Lord, thank you for loving me enough to alter my plans.

Escaping to the Alabama Gulf Coast

 With another approaching snow threat in Illinois, we headed south again, this time opting for Orange Beach and the Gulf Shores. In February, the weather was in the upper 60s and low 70s, which was perfect for outdoor activities including hiking in Gulf Shores State Park, miniature golfing, eating seafood on the beach, sightseeing, and just relaxing in the sun. 

Perfect weather for shorts!

We found reservations at Sun Outdoors RV Park , in Orange Beach for our 5-day stay and loved the park, the people, and the location. This was our first experience with an RV resort and didn't realize that they checked the age of the vehicle before approving our stay. Since our previous camper was an older 2006, this resort felt very upscale to us. We loved the lighted electrical outlets, the roomy, clean and level cement pads, and the little-used amenities. The laundry was clean and well-lit, with large windows on both sides, we were the only ones to use the hot tub or pool during our visit, and the pickleball courts were available each time we wanted to play. The park is under expansion with a new area with sites including two sewer hookups and trails that are under construction. We even met a couple at Sun Outdoors who canceled reservations at an RV park nearer to the beach in order to get away from the strong ocean breezes. They reported that the winds were so strong that they fought with their awning and the cool temperatures. Sun Outdoors provided the perfect compromise, only about 15 minutes to the beach, no daily fog, and manageable breezes to allow you to enjoy sitting outside.

Homework on the large cement site!

The hot tub at Sun Outdoors

We spent an entire day at the beach, in our sweatshirts and rolled-up jeans. The white sand was marvelous, but the ocean was still late-February cold! The upside was the solitude and short lines for eating at the Pink Pony Pub that is right on the beach. Parking was also free by the beach until March 1 and we were able to find plenty of room for our 34 ft. motorhome. 

We took advantage of the small crowds and ate on the beach at Pink Pony Pub, tried fried crab claw basket, grouper, and shrimp/crab spaghetti. The seagulls were beautiful, but Grace felt like she was part of Alfred Hitchcock's The Birds!

The Birds

Fog surrounded us throughout our day at Gulf Shores State Park. We hiked to the Nature Center, saw their mini raptor exhibit, ate Snickers ice cream bars by the shore, and explored the wetlands. Unfortunately, our adventures didn't include any alligator sightings except in the Nature Center. We added a Segway tour to our bucket list and checked on bicycle rentals. Bicycles are free for the first 3 hours at the Gulf State Park, but they did not have child-size bikes for Grace. We usually travel with our own bicycles, and would highly recommend them for exploring here.

Gulf State Park

Pirate's Island was a fun, clean stop for some mini-golf, and we were glad that we opted for the easier course followed by ice cream and some fudge at Chocolate Corner. Yum!

Lambert's, "Home of the Throwed Rolls," did not disappoint! This is the perfect place to catch up with friends and Gary, Karen, Kathy, and Joe shared their snowbird adventures while we chowed. We caught our fill of the softball-sized homemade rolls, overflowed our plates with fried zucchini, and chowed down on the special smoked chicken dinner! Grace was not thrilled with her salmon patties, but everything else was spectacular. 

Lambert's is always fun!

Overall, we came up with another list of "to-dos" for our next trip. Bring more coffee, quarters for the washers/dryers, an HDMI cable, and slip on shoes so they are easy to take off when we come inside. Purchase a bike rack for the motorhome, another Roku device, an electric tabletop grill, and quick-drying towels like these from Amazon (since our terry towels didn't dry out for the entire trip). And we have several problems that we are still trying to solve: 

• What is the best way to store shoes by the entry door?
• How will we minimize the impact of potholes?
• What is the best drying solution for towels both indoors and outdoors?
• What is the best solution to adjust the dinette table that is too high for both eating and working, cut down the existing legs or replace the legs altogether? 

We really need suggestions for solving these problems and we would love your insights and comments!